Key Takeaways
- Pretty Ricky is marking 20 years in the game by facing off against B2K in a VERZUZ event where fans will vote on the winner round by round.
- Miami quartet Pretty Ricky—Spectacular Smith, Diamond “Baby Blue” Smith, Corey “Slick 'Em” Mathis, and Marcus “Pleasure P” Cooper—emerged in the mid-2000s as a raunchy, rap-heavy answer to squeaky clean boy bands.
- They broke through with 2005’s gold-certified debut Bluestars and hits like “Grind With Me” and “Your Body,” then topped the Billboard 200 with 2007’s Late Night Special and its single “On The Hotline.
Pretty Ricky is one of the best boy bands of the new millennium.
Originally composed of brothers Spectacular and Diamond “Baby Blue” Smith, their cousin Corey “Slick 'Em” Mathis, and Marcus “Pleasure P” Cooper, the Miami-bred quartet felt like a modern-day Jodeci except with more rappers than singers.
During their early years in the late ‘90s, they were known as Pretty Rickie and the Maverie before changing it to their current moniker—which came from Miguel A. Nuñez Jr.’s character on Martin.
They began to gain traction locally following their 2003 single, "Flossin," but mainstream recognition didn't hit until 2005 with the breakout single, "Grind With Me," from their debut album, Bluestars.
The record and its scorching music video heated up the 106 & Park countdown; but Pretty Ricky kept the momentum going with “Your Body”—another unescapable anthem from that summer. The album—which dropped May 2005—peaked No. 16 on the Billboard 200 and went gold just two months after its release.
As B2K fizzled out of the spotlight due to their own issues, Pretty Ricky was one of the few bands during that era keeping fans’ attention. Their sophomore album, Late Night Special, released in January 2007 and topped the Billboard 200. It remained on the chart for 19 weeks, thanks to the popularity of its lead single, “On The Hotline.”
The glory days ended when Pleasure P left the group that year to launch his solo career. His solo debut, The Introduction of Marcus Cooper, arrived in June 2009, peaked at No. 10, and earned him three Grammy nominations. Pretty Ricky tried to move on without Pleasure, replacing him numerous times before landing on Emmanuel “Lingerie” DeAnda for their eponymous 2009 album. However, by then, the magic was lost. The album stayed on the Billboard 200 for only one week, peaking at No. 97.
Twenty years into their legacy, Pretty Ricky face off against B2K on VERZUZ. The event is scheduled for June 25 at 6:30 p.m. PT on Apple Music, where fans can vote in real time to decide the winner of each round.
Here are the 10 best Pretty Ricky songs of all time.
Pretty Ricky feat. Static Major, "Juicy" (2005)
Producer: Bigg D & Jim Jonsin
“Juicy” was a B-side from the group’s debut single that sampled Keith Sweat’s 1987 classic “Right and a Wrong Way.” The bedroom jam oozes lust and eroticism, featuring the kind of vivid storytelling that has become part of Pretty Ricky’s signature sound.
Pleasure P, “Under” (2009)
Producer: Tank
“Under” was the third single from Pleasure P’s solo debut. Co-written and produced by Tank, the ballad had Pleasure’s vocal prowess on full display. The visual featured cameos from Draya Michele and Tia Mowry and became his first video to top the 106 & Park video countdown.
The record was such a success with both fans and critics that it garnered two Grammy nominations for Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
Pleasure P, “Did You Wrong” (2008)
Producer: Rex Zamor
“Did You Wrong” was Pleasure P’s solo debut single.
It set the standard for who the crooner was outside of the group and what fans could expect from The Introduction of Marcus Cooper.
What became a cult classic was the remix with then-rising star Teairra Mari, who offered the female perspective to him admitting his wrongdoing. The record even poked fun at his Pretty Ricky departure as he quipped, “Being without you is like the moon without the sun/ And the sun without the moon and Pleasure P without Pretty Ricky.”
"Love Like Honey" (2007)
Producer: Music Royale
As a touching nod to the past, “Love Like Honey” samples Joe’s “The Love Scene” and leaves very little to the imagination. Metaphors related to love-making are evident, but that horny nature from Bluestars grew up and bled over into their third single from Late Night Special. These days, the live performance of the record is when Spectacular on his worst behavior—trust, that’s complimentary.
"Nothing But a Number" (2005)
Producer: Bigg D & Jim Jonsin
“Nothing But A Number” was the final single from Pretty Ricky’s debut era. It did a full 180 from the first two singles and was the first ballad to come from the quartet.
Seemingly in an effort to expand their female fanbase to older women, the young men held nothing back. “I'm a young man, but my dick grown up,” Baby Blue barked on the first verse— setting the tone for the song.
Typically, records discussing age catered to the older man/younger woman trope, but Pretty Ricky flipped the stereotype on its head.
Pleasure P, “Boyfriend #2” (2008)
Producer: Earl & E & Rico Love
“Boyfriend #2” is Pleasure P’s most successful solo single, peaking at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the song, Pleasure brilliantly takes on the role as the second in command—happy to be just as dutiful as a boyfriend without the stress of the title.
"Grind With Me" (2005)
Producer: Bigg D & Jim Jonsin
When it comes to numbers and charts, Pretty Ricky’s major label debut was their most successful single. “Grind With Me” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the group’s only record to break the top 10.
Hitting the scene with such a sizzling introduction, there was no way Pretty Ricky wasn’t going to be a big deal after this release. You had the crooner, the sex symbol, and the Hip-Hop appeal. Regardless of comparisons to Usher, the Ying Yang Twins, and 112, “Grind With Me” took over the 106 & Park countdown and clearly stood the test of time.
Pretty Ricky feat. Sean Paul, “Push It Baby" (Remix)
Producer: Music Royale
“Push It Baby” with dancehall legend Sean Paul is the only Pretty Ricky single that’s not available on streaming—despite it being the second single off Late Night Special.
What Sean Paul did for this record is exactly what Left Eye did for Donell Jones’ “U Know What’s Up.” The song feels incomplete if it doesn’t open with Sean Paul’s “Yagga, yo.”
“Your Body” (2005)
Producer: Cainon Lamb & Bigg D
The beauty with “Your Body” was their ability to interchange the clean and explicit versions without losing the heart of the song.
Yes, it was still raunchy and sexually-charged without doing too much. To keep the heat alive, Pretty Ricky took full advantage of their Miami-Dade County roots using the city as the backdrop in the music video.
“On The Hotline” (2007)
Producer: Music Royale, Rudy Sandapa & Static Major
Pretty Ricky didn’t invent phone sex.
However, during a time where teenagers had to wait until 9 P.M. to speak freely, “On The Hotline” was the soundtrack for sexcapades and MySpace pages.
Each member got to literally talk you through it—even through the radio edits that were just as catchy and hypnotizing. They further lured fans in with the platinum-selling song's music video, which became another staple on 106 & Park.
